Glen Murray enters Green leadership race

Former Winnipeg mayor Glen Murray is entering the race to become the next leader of the federal Greens.

Murray, who also served as a cabinet minister in the most recent Ontario Liberal government, made the announcement on Wednesday. He served as Ontario’s environment minister for nearly four years in the 2010s and unsuccessfully sought the Ontario Liberal Party leadership in 2013 (he withdrew before the convention).

“In the background of this pandemic are the worsening impacts of climate change underlining the need for us to act more boldly and rapidly. I realized it was time for me to take up this challenge and bring everything I have to offer to get us a path to a restored and safer planet,” he said in a prepared statement.

“I believe each generation has the responsibility to leave a legacy of a healthier and livable planet and a clean and caring economy for our children and grandchildren.”

Elizabeth May stepped down as leader of the Green Party shortly after the 2019 federal election. She had served as the party’s leader since 2006. While still remaining as parliamentary leader, May named Jo-Ann Roberts (who doesn’t have a seat) as interim leader.

The 2019 election was the federal Greens’ best-ever result, with the party winning three seats, including its first ever seat outside of B.C.

The leadership race is scheduled for Oct. 4. The approved candidates so far include astrophysicist Amita Kuttner, lawyer and former Liberal candidate David Merner and Toronto lawyer Annamie Paul.

Murray said there was “much we can learn” from efforts to flatten the curve on COVID-19, and that we can use that “same cohesiveness, care, compassion and energy to flatten the curve on climate change,” citing as an example the incremental changes employed by Ottawa to provide financial aid to struggling Canadians. Conversely, he noted that the Green Party has been calling for a guaranteed liveable income for years.

Murray also said that during his time as Ontario’s environment minister, he led the development of “world-leading circular economy legislation to eliminate waste” in the province and proudly supported the Ontario Liberal government’s basic income pilot, which was cancelled by the subsequent Ford administration.

The basic income scheme, he said, was working and would have” been a great asset to Ontario today during this pandemic, if only it had been continued under the current government.”

Murray said relaunching the Canadian economy “can and should be built on real transition towards cleantech, food security, mass transit, social housing and clean energy,” and touted an endorsement from former Quebec Environment Minister David Heurtel.

“Together we created the first joint carbon market deal in 2017 between our two provinces and California that was viewed internationally as a leading climate change initiative. I can only imagine what Glen can do next,” Heurtel said in a statement.